Monday, September 2, 2013

The Last of Summer Sewing

What happened to the lazy days of summer? I've been scarce around these parts because I've been working so much overtime! Yes, the extra money is nice, but you do start to long for free time after a while. I did manage to eke out some time for sewing in spite of it all. It's a sanity saver.

The good news is that I did get the backlog done! The white pants and the nightgown are done, and I've moved on to another round of Cutting Line shells to finish out the summer.

This one came about because I had a little remnant of the black cotton. I had it for a couple of years at least and couldn't find any way to use it.

Enter the Hearts a Flutter shell; the neck facing and lower bodice pieces could be fit onto the remnant.

The rest of the garment was cut from a piece of shirting from back in the day when JoAnn had some great surprises in the "red sticker" section.

The piping is ready-made and came from my stash of sewing notions. I know I bought it for something...I took the filling out because it was too heavy otherwise. Yes, the black is not perfectly lined up as I discovered later. But this was a fun project anyway and it's wearable. It will be a good layering piece until it finally gets cold.

The next two are proof that not every piece of fabric I buy ends up in the stash! I found these lightweight linens at JoAnn's when I was shopping for the 1st Day of School project earlier this summer.

Occasionally they do have something attractive, although it's more of a pattern and notion stop for me.

This one is a Pure and Simple shell.

I wish I'd sewn it up sooner. The print is too summery to get much wear this fall in spite of continued heat.

And this one is another Hearts a Flutter shell. I combined the upper and lower bodice pieces on this version. The print is so busy that the seam would be invisible if I had cut it per the pattern. This one will be a great layering piece for fall. I have several cardigans that go with colors in the print, so I'll be able to wear it until cold weather arrives.

I think I'm done with summer sewing at this point, although it will continue to be fairly warm for another 6 weeks or so. I can transition to fall in my color choices and gradually move to heavier fabrics. I've already pulled a bunch of fabrics that will work for fall and winter clothing!

I like the idea of continuing with faster projects for the time being. There are several knits in the pile that I plan to make from my TNT Kwik Sew T-shirt pattern. There are also some lightweight rayons that will probably become skirts. Time for cutting, although there are some projects ahead of these already planned and ready to go.

3 comments:

I've been on a shell kick, too, and making them from the same patterns! Here, I wear them year round, with a cardigan at work to fend off the a/c. Glad to see you are back to the blog, I need to do some photos and do same!

About Me

I'm living far from my native Southern habitat and enjoying life as a Desert Diva. I've reached the half century mark and beyond: living well is the best revenge.
I've been a huge sewing fan since junior high, when Mom bribed me into Home Ec by promising me I could use her sewing machine if only I enrolled. The rest is history.